chemicals

For me, living a “cleansing lifestyle” is the only way to go. Its something that didn’t happen overnight but slowly evolved over years, not only does it involve putting the very best foods in my body (unprocessed, organic) but also putting the very best ON my body! I think its pretty pointless to eat organic, drink green juice, partake in a cleansing diet and juice fasts if I’m just going to assault my body on a daily basis with chemical laden skincare and cosmetics. Did you know that whatever we put on our skin ends up in our bloodstream? It has been proven that if you were to step barefooted on a garlic clove within 5 minutes you will taste it on your breath. We are assaulted by too many toxins on a daily basis – even when living what would be considered a clean life. If there are natural alternatives out there, why not use them? Our skin is our largest organ – it absorbs everything we put on it – every soap, every lotion, every deodorant, every cosmetic – all absorbed through our skin and into our bloodstream. As women we are especially susceptible for a few reasons:

A) we are consistent consumer and users of skincare, body care & hair care products – I challenge every woman to compare her amount of products to any man in her life – guaranteed, she will have 10 for each one of his!

B) We are also vulnerable as being the great possessors of one of the most powerful hormones – Estrogen (which can be a double edged sword) – estrogen allows us to hold onto fat – good for somethings, not good for others as fat is the main place where toxins are stored. The chemicals & toxins in many products will be stored in fat stores.

C) THE BIGGIE – many of these chemicals are hormone disruptors, they will mess with the endocrine system big time – even raising estrogen levels – so this is a double whammy of sorts – the chemicals will raise your estrogen levels, which will promote fat storage, which will in turn allow your body to store more toxins!!!

Beauty SHOULD not come as such a dangerously high cost.

The list below may overwhelm you, just remember there is an alternative to every favorites shampoo, hairspray, nail polishe, body lotion, etc. I’m not suggesting you throw out everything immediately, but as your current products run out, try to replace them with chemical free counterparts. A good place to start would be the ones that have been banned in other countries!!! Dirty Thirty is a list of 30 chemical ingredients that have been linked to cancer. Many have been banned by the European Union on suspicion of their toxicity. What you may not know is that many of the biggest manufacturers of these products reformulate without these chemicals for the European market, but continue to manufacture with these potentially dangerous chemicals for the US market. While the list is a bit exhaustive, read through and decide – are the risks really worth it? For me personally they’re not – Organic, chemical free skincare doesn’t have to be uber expensive, it can be as simple as swapping out using baby oil or other moisturizer in favor of coconut oil.

1. ALUMINUM ZIRCONIUM and OTHER ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS
Function: Used to control sweat and odor in the underarms by slowing down the production of sweat.
Present in: Antiperspirants. Banned by EU.
Health concerns: Linked to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease; may be linked to breast cancer; probable neurotoxin; possible nervous system, respiratory, and developmental toxin.

13. FORMALDEHYDE-RELEASING PRESERVATIVES ( QUATERNIUM-15, DMDM HYDANTOIN, DIAZOLIDINYL UREA AND IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA, DEA, MEA, TEA)
Function: Anti-microbial preservative Examples: diazolindyl urea, imidazolindyl urea are common preservatives that release formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, that is irritating to the mucous membranes and known to cause contact dermatitis, headaches and internal bleeding.
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products.
Health concerns: Forms nitrosamines when in the presence of amines such as MEA, DEA and TEA; probable immune system, blood, cardiovascular and skin toxicant; KNOWN carcinogen;studies show endocrine disruption, nervous system and organ system effects; may contain harmful impurities.

14. FRAGRANCE (PARFUM)
Function: Deodorant, masking, perfuming
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products, read labels.
Health concerns: Immune system toxicant; possible neurotoxin; can contain between 10 and 300 different chemicals, many of which have never been tested for safety; see phthalates. Labeling can be confusing. If uncertain, check with manufacture.

18. METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE (MI/MCI) and METHYLCHLOROISOTHAIZOLINONE
Function: Preservative.
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products. Restricted in Canada and Japan.
Health concerns: Immune system toxicant; animal studies show restricted growth of the axons and dendrites of immature nerves, neurotoxicity and positive mutation results; can lead to a malfunction in the way neurons communicate with each other; especially detrimental to a developing nervous system.

24. PROPYLENE GLYCOL
Function: Solvent, penetration enhancer, conditions skin, controls viscosity and keeps products from melting in high or freezing when it is cold. Made from the same chemical that is used to create anti-freeze
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products.
Health concerns: Alters skin structure, allowing other chemicals to penetrate deep into the skin and increasing the amounts of other chemicals that reach the bloodstream; animal studies show reproductive effects, positive mutation results, brain and nervous system effects and endocrine disruption.

25. SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
Function: Surfactant, penetration enhancer, foaming agent
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products, read labels.
Health concerns: Alters skin structure, allowing other chemicals to penetrate deep into the skin, increasing the amounts of other chemicals that reach the bloodstream; Irritant; studies show sense organ effects. Known to cause skin rashes and allergic reactions. Often disguised as natural product with the term “derived from coconut”

I’m sure you’ve heard by now: You are what you eat. And, you are what you breathe. And, you are what you put on your skin! We live in some scary times; it seems there’s a new precaution at every turn. You may be asking yourself, how many preventative steps do we really need to take? Take a deep (cleansing) breath while I shed some light on some necessary tips to decrease your body burden

1. Organic when you can. In your quest to consume the most perfect foods, you can breathe a sigh of relief that NOT everything needs to be organic. Adhere to the “Dirty Dozen” & “Clean 15” lists; According to the EWG (Environmental Working Group), the foods on the Dirty Dozen list contain between 47 and 67 chemicals when grown conventionally. (The DD are: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, leafy greens like spinach, kale, collard greens and lettuce, green beans, cherries, potatoes and imported grapes.) The bright shining light in what seems like an endless tunnel of pesticides and other chemicals is the Clean 15. These fruits and veggies contain virtually no chemicals and pesticides when consumed conventionally. Tests show that 90 percent of these had one or fewer pesticides, and none had more than five types of pesticides. (The 15 are: onions, avocados, corn, pineapple, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and mushrooms.)

2. Change a few key items. While most non-organic products contain a shocking amount of chemicals (see my blog on the “Dirty 30” chemicals in skincare, here are the products you should absolutely insist on being chemical free are:

Perfume – I cringe when I think of the many years I faithfully sprayed perfume all over my “pulse points.” If you’re like most women, you liberally spray perfume all over your neck . You know what else is smack in that “spray zone?” Your thyroid! This delicate “master gland” is called as such due to the fact that it controls hundreds of metabolic activities and functions in the body! And you just sprayed it with carcinogenic hormone disruptors full of parabens, phthalates and synthetic chemicals!

Deodorant – Aluminum, parabens and other chemicals smeared under our arms in a quest to smell clean – but is it worth it when the risks are Alzheimer’s and Breast Cancer? Unfortunately, our underarms are another “sensitive” area as they contain lymph nodes (glands that are part of the lymphatic system, the body’s main detox network). Again, every time you use deodorant, you are putting chemicals right on an ultra-sensitive key gland of the body. Seriously, if I didn’t know better, it seems all of these so called “beauty” products are geared to “clog” up our bodies with toxins! Parabens have shown up in 99 percent of breast cancer cases!

Toothpaste – Here we go again; yet another area of high sensitivity. Everyone knows that sublingual medicine works faster, but do you know why? The mouth, and more specifically under the tongue, contains millions of capillaries that are a direct route to the bloodstream. If medicine is deposited into the bloodstream quicker, so are chemicals! Time to give up your conventional toothpaste – opt for one that is fluoride and chemical free – trust me, your mouth won’t know the difference, but your body will!

3.Do some housecleaning. Another area of chemical abundance is in household cleaning supplies. These days, it’s very easy to swap out your conventional products for healthier options. Give up bleach and ammonia in favor of hydrogen peroxide. Think you need that bleachy, scouring concoction? Sea salt and baking soda do the same thing. Lemons and vinegar disinfect and brighten and leave a fresh scent. My favorite DIY home recipe is carpet refresher: I simply take baking soda, blend it with purifying essential oils and sprinkle on my carpet, let it sit a few hours and vacuum to a super soft, clean smelling, chemical-free carpet! Another household area that is rarely considered is food storage – do you use plastic containers? Wrap your leftovers in aluminum foil or plastic wrap? Frequently reheat things in the microwave in plastics, etc.? Before I recommend you throwing out your microwave (remember – baby steps!), I suggest you start stockpiling glass storage containers; most of them can be used to heat foods in the microwave or oven, and the best part of all is they’ll last forever. Plus, they’ll never “smell” like your recent leftovers, or become stained.

4. Maintain the temple. The easiest way to clear your body of toxins is to get ample exercise. Not only will you release toxins from your sweat, but also through breathing! The top choices are: rebound exercises, sauna and yoga. Finish off with a soothing detox bath with Epsom salt, and you’ll be on your way to a cleaner body.

While this list is certainly not the definitive list on releasing your body of toxic chemicals, it certainly is a start. Aim to begin these immediately, and in no time you’ll be ready to take on some greater feats (like ditching the chemical-laden cosmetics and throwing out your microwave!).